powers



(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet l.

D. J. POWERS.

DITGHING MAGHNE. N0.'340,14. Patented Apr. 27, 1886'.

www-QW 5 Wmw (No Modem 7 Sheets-Sheet 2. D.J. POWERS. DITGHING MACHINE.

.mr w

m e. MV

(No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 3.

D. J. POWERS.

DITUHING MACHINE.

D. J. PGWERS.

DITCHING MACHINE.

No, 340.1614. Patentedipp. 27, m86.

(No Model.) A 7 'Sheets-Sheet 5.

D. J. POWERS. DITGHING MACHINE. No. 340,614. PatentedApr. 27, 1886.

@Milf "mum I 4 a f M kw'm .7% n M www (No Mael.) 7 sheets-sheet e.

D. J. POWERS 'DITGHING MACHINE. y

No. 340,614. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

:HU I

il". ff

www

f/ l mma RWS f@ f @y @Wm y xeorne@ (No Model.) n 7 Sheets-Shet 7.

D. J. POWERS. DITGHING MACHINE.

No. 340,614. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

^ 6&9 e@ ,2% @622%021' 1 e @j MMI/b j@ WW* @mmf Patient OFFICE.,

DAVD J'. POYVELS, 0F CHNAGO, ILLIOIS.l

` DlTCl-'ilNC-NIACHlNL Application filed July T, i884. Serial No. 137,037. (No nimh-ld To all whom, it muy cm1/cern:

Be it known that i, DAVID J. Pownizs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinoisfhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ditching-lliaehines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ditching-machines; and .it consists, first, in ro severalirnprovements ol" the buckets and their appliances calculated to simplify and cheapen their construction, and also to more effectually secure their delivery of tenacious or sticky material, and, further, to secure the delivery i5 of the earthy material at the desired point upon the dump-board, as more fully described in the specification, secondly, in appliances for taking up the rope cable as it is delivered "fr'o'in''he""spool pulley upon the axis of the 2o ditchingwheel; thirdly, in the adaptation of a follower behind the ditching-wheel in such a manner as to leave a clean ditch into which to place the tile behind the follower or through a vertical opening in the rear of the follower;

fourthly, in several subordinate devices, all

as fully set forth in the specification.

l have illustrated my invention by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isa side elevation of the entire machine. Fig. 2 3o shows the opposite side ol' thc machine. Fig.

3 shows the machine in the ground together 'with the follower and bridge. Fig. Lt is a transverse sectional View of the bucket, rake, and dump-board. Fig. 5 is a separate and; enlarged view ofthe rake and roller arni. Fig. il is a view el' one of the diggers or colliers. Fig. 'i is a View of thc take-up spool and its appendages. Fig. S is one of the friction` roller heads of the spools. Fig. 9 is a plan 4o view of' the tahenp or sheave wheels. Fig. it) is a side view of the saine. Fig. ll is a sectional side view of the pulley-andbelt device that drives the takeup spool. Fig. l2 is a sectional plan view ol' the saine. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the bucket, diggers, and guide-rod. Fig, 14 is a longitudinal vertical central sectional interior view of the bucket, showing the application of the interior plate.- Fig. l5 is a plan view of the entire machine at o work. Fig. lo is another style of take-up spool operated laterally bya returning-screw.

Like letters and figures refer to correspond ing parts in the specification and drawings.

The main frame A is mounted upon Wheels B, upon axles l, with tongue D and `hounds E, said frame being about the same width asa lumber-wagon, and theaxles somewhat longer than in wagons.

Upon the inside of stringers A, and .about three feet each way from their centers, are secured rigidly by bolts four uprights, F, ex tending` from slightly below said Stringer-s upward about four and one-half l'eet. Upon the opposite sides of these uprights are secured metallic plates f, with their edges extending inward about one inch farther than the inner face of the upright, and thus forming ways in which to secure the vertically-sliding,r frame G, which is composed of four posts, g, and eight cross-girls, y' and y, so proportioned that the external sides of the posts lit loosely in the groove formed upon thc uprights F by plates f, so that the l'raxne G can be raised or lowered by means of sheaves Il., chains I, winding-shaft ll, with chain-pulleys K upon its,

ends, and worin-wheel L, secured upon shaft H, between thcni, and worm and crank-shaft M, with which to operate the suine.

Upon the under girlsgat their central part, is journaled in suitable boxes a transverse shaft, N, of the saine length as the width of the freine Upon shaft N is secured the ditching-wheel O, which is composed of radial arnis P, scoured to a disk, p, upon the shaft. To these arms is attached a gcarriin, Q,-and upon the outer ends of the arms are l'orined buckets R, composed ol' a t'ront steel cutting-edge, S, in the forni ot' a loop, being:r about four inches wide and one-fourth of anA inch thick, (more or lesa) and of a suiiicient length to admit of their being firmly secured upon arms P with screws or otherwise. To these lront loops, which have the right. form to 'cuta ditch about six inches wide at bottom and during upward toa width ol'nine inches, are attached metallic sides T and T', extending backward in a curving forni a proper distance for a suitable-sized.

bucket, and properly attached to a rear block, Bf, which forms the back end of the bucket. The sides T are also attached to wood segment-s "V, secured to the wheel-arms P.

` into the cogs of-the gear-rim Q.

Upon the periphery of the bucket are soonred longitudinal metallic bars r, of about onefourth of an inch in thickness and oneand one-fourth of an inch in width, with spaces between them and between them and the plates 'l and T of about threeeighths of an inch wide. Plate T' is considerably narrower than plate T, and has asection or door, y', hinged to it, making it of about the same width as plate 'l. lnside of this bucket is an inclined back, x, adapted to discharge the contents of the bucket upon nn inclined shelf', .7., attached to the sliding frame (i at the proper height and po-A sition to receive the contents of the buckets successivcl y as the wheel O is revolved and the buckets brought successive] y above and past the incline Z. Beneath said incline is secured i0 sliding frame (i a ci rcular rod of metal, y, adapted to keep said sections y' closed ait-all times, except when they pass above the shelf Z, in which position they are free to be opened bythe pressurel of the contents of the buoi;- ets, or otherwise, until the bucket is emptied, when the section automatically closes. y

Upon a vertical shaft, A', journaled in propel' boxes upon the sliding frame G, is secured a pinion gear-wheel, Q', which meshes To the top of this -shai't is attached a sweep, B', extending outward some fourteen feet, and adapted for attaching a horse io give rotary motion to the ditching-wheel. The sweep is constructed with a horizontal and diagonal section, the outer section, l, heilig secured by bolts to in such a manner as to admit oi' the adjust ment of the outerend of B" up or down to any desired height, according tothe depth of lditch being cut.

Mounted upon the iop of tho sliding frame .i is a rake device, C', pivoted'at its rear end to cross-bar y', so as to swing freely up and down at its forward end, upon which end is secured a series of long teeth, c, adapted to enter the slotted openings in the periphery of the buckets. and to freely traverse the saine longitudinally as the bucket-wheel moves forward. Upon the right-hand side'ofsaid wheel, when standing in the rear of the machine, is secured a series of circular cams, 1)', corresponding in number to the number of buckets, and cooperating with these cams there is an arm, d, extending down from the rake device, with a'roller upon its lower end, which at proper intervals engages with the cams andl lifts the raketeeth out of the buckets and carries them up ont of the way until the next bucket 1s ready to receive them.

A turning-button, E', is adapted to be turned under and hold the rake up out of operation when it' is not desirable to use it in cleaning the buckets of sticky material.

When the soil being worked isiine enough to escape through the slaited openings upon the periphery of the buckets, metal plates F-E (see Fig. 14) are adapted to he introduced inside of the buckets, having their front ends secured 1u the space f 2 between the front plate l 4of the bucket and the slatted bars upon its pe' riphery, an `its rear end attached with screws or otherwise to the diagonal block R', thus making a tight bottom io the bucket, no 0pc11- ing in the periphery of the bucket being necessary to admit ofthe use of the rake in pulverulent or sandy soils.

Forward of each bucket is secured a digger, G2, composed'of two colter or plow points, ,adapted to digr and pulverize the soil forward of the buckets, so that it will readily enter Hw buckets. ri`he diggers have a somewhat larger outline than the bilckots,so as to first encounter any-serious obstacles that might other wise harm the buckets, which are not as strong or easily repaired', il' injured, as the diggers. The diggers l usually connect with a base, thus giving them additional strengthu Upon the shaft- N, at the right side of the wheel, is secured a. pulley, G', of concave outline, and around this pulley several turns of a rope cable, li', are made, the forward end of which extends ahead ci' the machine one l ing one upon shaft N, which is connected by i a proper chain belt, J. Being connected, as described, with the main shaft, the sheaves 'J' .l2 take up the cable as it unwinds from the pulley ti' and keep it tight upon said pulley, causing the machine to advance towardy the anchor as the ditching-wheel rotates. As the rope travels through the sheaves it is finally taken up upon spool K', which is caused to rotate by belt L' and pulleyL2 upon its shaft and pulley M. upon the main shaft N, the belt being slack enough to allow it to slip upon the pulleys more or less as the spool increases in sine.

The spool is malle to vtravel forward and back longitudinally upon its axis, so as to wind the cable evenlyv upon it by means of the .reversing-screw N upon its axis, or by friction-roller devices O', adapted to give the spool a free and easy motion laterally upon its axis. The screw device in most. cases will be found preferable.

ln the rear of the machine a follower, X, is adapted to follow in. the ditch. and to catch upon its iuclining front, X', all earthy material that may follow the wheel over back. All such accumulating material slides down the slope X', and is taken up by the buckets of the .wheel and carried forward and discharged with other contents of the buckets.

Back from the pitch-hoard. I extend side IOO wings, X2, to keep the banks from caving until the tile are laid in piace, the same being iusorted down through the open space between the wings by hand or otherwise. Behindthe follower is a bridge, X, adapted to cover the ditch, so that the horse can pass over it. The bridge and follower are pulled alongby the vto machine by a chain connection, y1, or otherf wise. ,Y

, Tio'oper'atethe machine an anchor 1of5any usual kindissccured to the grou'ndfescfar forward of the machine as a cable frornone" hundrcdand fifty to two`hundred"feet-will permit. `jat,cable-about a one-inch-in-diam-A eter;rope--isi vpassed back from theV anchor-U throughA an eye upon the forward endjol'dhe tongue of vthe machine, then about four turns around?` the f'p-ulley G upon the axis vof the ditching-wheel. then between the take'np sheave-rollers J and J, and then 'its end is secured to the body of the'spool l'. t-hemachine is put in motion by the horse upon the sweep-bar, when the cable tightens upon the pulley (l', and the slack is taken up by the sheave-wheels J' and J2 and spool K', and the machine is thus caused to feed forward, the cable being wound up upon the spool K' as it passes through the machine by the belt L', which is so adapted to the pulleys that as the spool enlarges it is modilied in its motion by the slipping of the belt upon its pulleys, so as to only take up the cable as fastas it is fed to it by the sheave-wheels. As the machine is fed forward bythe cable, the operator lets dow'h the wheel into the ground to the required depth by a backward rotation of the worm M upon the worm-wheel I. As the machine is thus let into t-he ground and advanced forward, the diggers pulverize and loosen the soil and turf, and the buckets folf' lowing after take up the looseearth and carry it upward above the dumping board Z, where the door y is released, andthe contents of the bucket are discharged upon the dump 7i, the door being opened by the pressure of the material within, or otherwise, and aut-ornatically closed when the contents are dis charged by the guide-rod Y, which keeps it closed in its entire cireuit,except when itis above the dumpboard. To insure the certain discharge of clayey or stickysoils from the i buckets, the rake (l' is adapted to fall into and sweep through the entire 'length of the buckets, and then to be elevated by the cams D upon the wheel, so as to take it over the dig` gers to the nest bucket, and so on. Nhen it is not necessary to thusrake the buckets, the

rake is elevated above the action of the cams and securedthere by turning the button E under it, and vice versa when the rake to be used. 0n the other hand, when worki'nglight or sandy soils which may escape through the slatted openings of the buckets, in such case the thin metallic plates T are applied inside of the buckets, and they are thus made tight- Before proceeding so far with the machine as to bring the left hind wheel of the machinein contact with the bank of earth thrown out of the ditch, it is necessary to extend the axletree Y and wheel outward (as seen in Fig. 15) so that it will run ontsideof the bank of earth.

rlChe axle is so constructed that the lefthand l section of it with the wheel can be thus readily extended within the iron clasps that secure it Then l Atothe machine; or a supplemental axle like i V maybe used. After the ditch is started ll-the bridge is placed over it f orthe better pasi-sage of the horse, andwhen the ditch 1s down to its depth the follower X. "may be inserted l `when working soils thatare liable to cave or l fallin. Both bridge and followerare attached `to the machine to give them their forward motion. As the machine movesforward, it leaves -a clean bed ditch withinV the openv rear part of the follower, in whichfihe `tile can" be placed in proper position"onc by one, bythe attendl ant of the machine` without materially inten fering with his other duties, and thus the work is practically completed before any harm can come to the ditch. Instead of a follower with an open rear extension, through which to insert the tiles in ground that will not cave, I use a follower having only the front section, l adapted only to catch and return the earth l that follows over again to the under side of the wheel upon the incline X. NVhen the machine has caught up wit-h the anchor, and itis necessary to take the anchor ahead for further work in the saine direction, the cable is freed from the pressure by the take-up wheels, and the beltis released upon the spool pulley. Then the cable can be drawn ahead with the anchor by th'e draft of the horse upon the anchor, and when the anchor is again attached to the ground the machine is ready to start ahead again the same as at'first. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patentf, s-

1. A ditching-machine bucket with alongitudinally-slatted periphery, in combination with a rake device cooperating therewith, i substantially as and fout-he purpose specified.

2. A ditching machine bucket having a slatted periphery` in combination with a clos l ing-plate, F', substantially as and for the' purpose specified; Y

3. In a ditchingmachine,

IOO

IIO

i with the pivoted rake device C', provided with a dependent lever, d, of the wheel O and its l slatted buckets, and cam-pieces D', for operati ing the rake-lever, substantially'as shown and l described. l

4. In a wheel ditchingmaehine adapted to be moved forward to its work by a rope or cable, the combination, with the excavatingi wheel axle having t'h'e propellingcable spooli mounted thereon, of a winding-drumfor the surplus rope, and take-up sheave-wheels rintermediate between the axle and windingdrum, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a ditching-niachiue adapted to be i moved forward to its work by a rope or cable,

wheel axle having the propelling-cable spooll l the combination, with the bucketwheel having a pulley-axle and means for revolving the axle, the sail receiving-spool being adapted same, of sheave-wbeels and nwinflinwspool, i to traverse back and forbh and wind np the 15 both receiving motion `from bhe pulley axle, cable as the latter is delivered to it, substanwbcreby when the cable tightens upon the said tially as shown and described.

5 :mie the slack is taken up by the sheave- 8. In combination with a. wheel ditchingwhecls and wound upon the spool, snbstanmachine, the follower X, having an inclined tinlly :is shown and described. frnb or pitch-board, X', and side boards, X", 2o

7. linfa' ditbtingtmncilne adapt-ed tombe substantially as described. mOV OI'WHJI O 'I 'SVOF )y 8 l() )e 0l.' C51 l 7- 1o the combination, with the bucketwheel hav- DAVID J PO ERS' i ing a pulley-axle and means, substantially as NVitliesses: describelhfor rotating the same, of a wind- FREDERICK C. GOODWIN, ing-spool receiving motion `from the pulley- E. L. HUBER. 

